In pictures: Menorahs lit around the world as Festival of Lights begins

By Daniel Ben-David for The Jewish Chronicle…

The 2,000-year-old festival began on Sunday with menorahs lit in cities across the globe, including Auckland.

For the last 2,100 years, Jewish people have commemorated the eight days of Chanukah by lighting the menorah.

The “Festival of Lights” commemorates the unlikely victory of the militarily weak but spiritually strong Jewish people over the powerful Seleucid Empire at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt in the second century BC.

The victory culminated in the recovery of Jerusalem and the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and the rekindling of its golden menorah. The Hebrew word Chanukah means “dedication”, and is named as such because of the rededication of the Holy Temple.

Read the full article on The Jewish Chronicle here.